Political guru “Master of Disaster” Chris Lehane on Weiner’s confession: “He had to rip the bandage off”

Chris Lehane, the famed San Francisco-based political crisis communications consultant known as the “Master of Disaster,” has seen “the good, the bad, and the ugly” in press conferences — but today’s big show with Rep. Anthony Weiner was something new altogether.

We asked Lehane, the former Clinton White House spokesman and the spokesman for Al Gore’s 2000 run for President, to deliver his take on all things Weinergate in the wake of the Congressman’s confession today that he had engaged in “inappropriate” texting and tweeting (ahem) with female constituants, and lied about it.

Here’s some excerpts of Lehane’s views on the latest political crisis to hit the headlines:

Liz Halafia/The Chronicle

“Master of Disaster

On Weiner’s lengthy, painful tell-all press conference Monday: “He had to rip the bandage off all together… he shouldn’t have done a press conference until he did it this way. You had to go through the “pound of flesh,’ and given where he was, he had to choose this moment to take the pounding.”

*On Weiner’s big mistakes: “The New York City press corps, the Washington press corps, the national press corps and the social media press corps were all following…and he shouldn’t have been in this position from a crisis communications perspective to begin with. If last Monday, he said, “I sent an inappropriate picture, and I’m completely responsible,” it would have been bad. But that’s not a seven-day story, and an ethics investigation — and people wondering if the career is over.”

*On whether the career is over: “He comes from a very safe district, and we have a Congress where we’ve seen Sen. David Vitter and Rep. Barney Frank, who had problems and survived because they came from a safe district.”

*On a future run for New York City mayor: “That certainly doesn’t look look like it’s in the short term…but having a long term approach, 10 years from now, and having your nose clean,” it’s definitely a possibility.

*On other possible Weiner surprises: “(We) all assume that what he said today is accurate and what’s out there is out there…but if there are people under a certain age, then there are legal issues. Then you have much more serious problems.”